A Day

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It has been a day.

I went to bed last night around 11:30 to the lullaby of thunder and torrential rain. A couple of weeks ago, after an exceptionally heavy rain, our basement had water seep through the walls and floor for the first time. I dozed off wondering if it could happen again. About midnight I was awakened by a deafening crack of thunder.

I love the voice of God in thunder.

This thunder felt personal, as if God awakened me for a specific reason. So I drug myself down to the basement. Sure enough, water was seeping in again.

Let opening notes of furniture moving commence and the tune of mopping begin. Add the accompaniment of mental ranting about how much stuff is in my way that we do NOT need. Insert some interludes of near meltdown about what it might cost to fix the problem and how much work lies ahead to deal with all our *@%$# JUNK. Sometime after 3am, bring to mind the Mississippi River floods and shift to a key of waxing philosophical which reaches resolution.

Okay, Lord. It's Your house, Your basement, Your stuff, Your rain. My schedule belongs to You. You can do with it all as You please.

The rain diminished and I went to sleep around 3:30, thinking on the verses we'd read just before bedtime:

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits ...
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy...
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
~ Psalms 103:2,8,10 (NKJV)

At 6am I did a little more mopping before heading out to a 7:30 job fair for my oldest daughter which required my attendance. I grabbed a cat nap at noon before taking daughter #2 to an audition. Once back home, I decided the day was cold enough for a fire, to help dry out the aforementioned basement.

I've kindled about a gazillion fires in the upstairs stove, but could not get a good draft going in our basement stove. When the smoke got thick enough to sting my eyes and elicit complaints from upstairs, I shut the whole thing down and began venting the basement with a fan that was no way going to counter the stiff breeze blowing in.

I opened all the windows in the house to cooperate with the wind. About the time everyone's teeth were chattering, my thoughts had turned to all the rain ahead this summer and the demands on my desk vying for attention. That's when God interrupted imminent meltdown with a phone call from my sister.

I'd say "God bless Him" for that, but ... how would that work?

Man goes out to his work
And to his labor until the evening...
The earth is full of Your possessions ...
You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
You hide Your face, they are troubled ...
You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the earth.
~ Psalms 104:23-24,28-30 (NKJV)

That was tonight's passage, read just before bedtime prayers. Then the child who always begins with "thank You for a good day today" instead said "thank You for a day today."

I couldn't help laughing out loud. She responded, "After all, the world didn't end." Which is when another of my darlings replied, "Well that would have actually been better."

More laughter before we finish prayers and I tuck in each darling with a kiss and a song.

Though I'm ready to drop, I simply couldn't end the day before I shared this testimony, and one last verse from those precious Psalms.

Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation!
Selah
~ Psalms 68:19 (NKJV)

And now I'm off to sleep, as I listen to the gentle sound of rain.

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Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.